The MIC is confident of garnering 70 percent of the Indian community votes for BN victory in the Teluk Intan parliamentary by-election on May 31.

"Twenty percent of voters in this constituency are Indians. We're confident the community will rise to the occasion and support BN," its president G Palanivel said in Teluk Intan today.

He was speaking after a presentation of aid to Indian students and excellence awards for the 2013 Peperiksaan Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah, Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) and Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia. 

Also present were Perak Menteri Besar Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, Gerakan president Mah Siew Keong and Perak state assembly speaker SK Devamany.

Palanivel, who is also natural resources and environmental minister, said Teluk Intan's registered Indian voters comprised 4,700 MIC members and more than 7,000 non-MIC members.     

"We're hoping to combine these figures to help BN win by a bigger majority in the by-election," he said.

The Teluk Intan parliamentary seat fell vacant when its incumbent DAP's Seah Leong Peng, 48, passed away due to cancer on May 1.

Nomination day is on May 19, while early voting is on May 27 and polling day on May 31. 

In the last general election, Seah defeated BN candidate Mah Siew Keong and Independent Moralingam Kannan by a majority of 7,313 votes. 

- Bernama